The 1970-1973 2nd-Gen Chevrolet Camaro Z28

The distinctive round tail lights of the 70-73 Camaro. No other Camaros, even other 2nd gens, came with round tail lights, making this a very unique feature.

The early second generation Camaros produced by Chevrolet during the period of 1970-1973 are my personal favorite classic Camaros ever made. The first generation Camaros have timeless styling and will probably always be the most sought-after, but there's no denying that the second generation Camaros were a significant improvement. Build quality, accleration, handling, interior refinement -- the 2nd generation Camaro improved on all these aspects. The second generation of the Chevy Camaro is much more mature and refined when compared to its predecessor. Combine this with the fact that emissions and gas prices in the late 70's contributed to the death of large engines in muscle cars, and it is evident why the early model 2nd-generation Camaros are the best performing classic Camaros out there!

Identifying 1970-1973 2nd-Generation Camaros

The later model second generation Camaros had different front and rear ends. This one is a 1981 Z28 Camaro, the last year of the second generation range.

Second generation Camaros came with a large number of small differences between body styles, making it difficult to pinpoint exact years if you are not a Camaro expert. Second generation Camaros have 2-door fastback style bodies, with a front-engine, rear-wheel drive architecture.

The front crossmember is not integral to the chassis like the first generation Camaros were, improving ride quality by a significant amount. The solid rear axle remained, and 1970 Z28 Camaros featured the strong 12-bolt differential while later models came with a variety of other rear end housings.

The 1970-1973 Camaros are the known as the early 2nd gens, and are distinctly different from the 74-81 models. Early 2nd gen Camaros have large "egg crate" rectangular grilles and round headlights up front, and four round taillights in the rear, usually accompanied by a lip spoiler.

Later second gen Camaros received heavier and more complicated bumpers to comply with federal regulations, and the front grille and all lights changed over the years. The basic body shape and interior remained relatively consistent from 1970-1981, but the head and tail lights of the 70-73 models set them apart from the rest!

The RS Package

The RS package included the famous split-bumper, shown here on this Z28 Camaro. The bumper does not cross the front grille like the SS Camaro pictured above; it is instead split into two small sections below the headlights.

The second generation Camaro came with a number of options, including the RS, SS, and Z28 packages. The RS package, or Rally Sport option, was an appearance package that included trim upgrades and the famous split-bumper in 1970-1973 Camaros. This split-bumper exposed the entire front grille area and for some reason is extremely popular. Many surviving 70-73 2nd gen Camaros are converted to split-bumper even if they did not originally come with the RS package.

The SS Package

A black 1971 Camaro with a red racing stripe in excellent condition driving down the road. This one is an SS, or Super Sport which package that included a high performance engine and suspension upgrades more geared towards street use.

The SS package is also very well-known and has been an option for Camaros of all generations. SS stands for Super Sport, and while the exact upgrades included in the package varied widely from generation to generation and year to year, it always included higher performance engines and suspension upgrades. The main difference between the Super Sport and the Z28 package is that the Z28 is intended more for track use while the SS package keeps the little luxuries that make it more enjoyable to drive on the street. You could not get both the SS package and the Z28 package, but the RS package could be had along with either an SS or Z28 Camaro.

The Z28 Package

Now for my favorite, the Camaro Z28. The Z28 package adds more value and performance to the 2nd gen Camaro than any other, due to much lower production numbers and performance upgrades in both drivetrain and suspension in Z28 Camaros. A 70-73 Camaro Z28 with the RS package is generally considered to be the holy grail of 2nd generation Camaros.

The Z28 package was created as a road racing oriented option, and Chevrolet entered many Camaro Z28s in various racing series throughout its production lifetime. Unfortunately, it did not win any championshops in 1970, and subsequent years led to smaller and smaller engines heavier bodywork, which led to bad finishes. It would have been nice for the top-performing Camaro of the muscle car era to secure one last win for Chevy before its decline, but things don't always work out like they should.

Z28 details

Z28 Camaros in 1970-1973 came with some of the last true
high-performance V8s offered in Chevy muscle cars in the 70's, the
350-cubic inch LT-1 with an amazing 360 horsepower and 380 foot-pounds
of torque! Oddly enough, 1970 was the first year a Z28 could be
purchased with an automatic transmission, the TH400. An automatic is
nice in most cars, but for the Z28 Camaros most people opted for the
4-speed manual since the Z28 was intended for track and high
performance use.

The
Camaro Z28 also came with taller rear gears in the differential; 3.73
Posi-traction gears standard with 4.10s as an additional option. The
suspension geometry and chassis rigidity was improved greatly for the
second generation Camaro already, and with the upgrades included in the
Z28 package, it became a very formidable track car.

The Z28
Camaro also came with racing stripes, a black grille, extra wide
lightweight wheels with polished lug nuts wrapped in the best tires
available at the time, and no air conditioning. Another interesting
fact is that 1970 was the first year Z28 Camaro badges said Z28 instead
of Z/28.

The Chevrolet Camaro

The history of the Chevrolet Camaro is extremely rich, and memorizing all the appearance and drivetrain options of each model would take years. There have been four generations of the Camaro produced so far, and the fifth generation is scheduled for release in 2010. There have also been many dealer-modified and aftermarket tuner-modified Camaros over the years, which are usually worth boa loads of money and extremely difficult to find. There is no question that the Camaro has earned its status as a lasting American icon, and good examples will become more valuable as time goes on. The first generation Camaros have become so popular that even base models with V6 engines go for a few thousand dollars in junkyard condition!

The 1970-1973 Camaros will likely become more and more valuable as time
goes on, due to fewer good examples staying in existence. The 1970
Camaro Z28 in particular is already a very valuable muscle car and to
many represents the peak in performance of classic Camaros that rolled
out of Chevy's factories. The early 2nd gen Camaros also have a
distinctive look that sets it apart from all other generations due to
its round taillights, large black rectangular grille, and many other
features. If you see one lying around, it might be a good idea to
restore it to keep an American legend alive for future generations to
appreciate!

Comments

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Mkuj 7 months ago

I wonder why the article made no mention of the 1973 Z28 Type LT which replaced the SS

Rodrick Lewis 3 years agofrom Online

Beautiful machine. Im a Mustang guy myself, but those are all awesome years. Love the body lines, the stance, the ride is no joke as well.

tony 3 years ago

how can you tell the difference between a real factory 4-speed car from a fake one without a buildsheet? its a 1972 Z28. besides the radiator,trans lines and shifter console plate. as far as the tunnel weld brackets go,is the shifter hole different? bacause the tunnel is the same,right? the floor pedals can be changed out but what about their locations and the firewall holes, would they change? anything else?

jdellinger 4 years ago

I liked fryguys observations. And cmments on that yellow wannabe R.S. just bought a 7220 REAL R.S. last week and its good to see some people know the difference!

dale 5 years ago

did all 1970 z28s have the double deep groove belts or some had single deep groove belt system

ron bibb 5 years ago

have nitemares,ordered my 1970.5 after a.f. discharge.forest green,m22,410 grs.had to sell in 72.where are you? idiot.

chris lanham 6 years ago

I have a 1973 z-28 love 2nd gen camaros this is my second one a I have owned it for 14 years ,dont think i will ever sell it. have a tatoo on my right shoulder with the chevy emblem and the Z-28 in the middle of it.

Wendy Snow 6 years ago

I have to agree second generation was the best looking so far. My husband had a 70 1/2 that sadly had to be sold when the economy got bad. Was never a fan of the split bumper look, felt like something was missing. Round tail lights...beautiful. They looked awesome on the Chevelle also

Jmartin 6 years ago

The 2nd generation ss was only available during 1970-72.

anthony 6 years ago

there was no ss in the gen-2 camaros....

2011 chicago chevy dealership 6 years ago

Yes, but i think those classic Camaros are more powerful than the current edition. My papa had this model in the 70s and i have also got opportunity to drive that car.

2011 chicago chevy dealership 6 years ago

Yes, but i think those classic Camaros are more powerful than the current edition. My papa had this model in the 70s and i have also got opportunity to drive that car.

BT 6 years ago

Fryguy is totally right. This is not a real RS

Jenner 6 years ago

Sweet i have a 1971 Z28 RS original does anybody know the production of that combination but i do know the production of the Z28 that year was i think 4,682

701/2guy 7 years ago

Thank you fryguy for sorting out the RS option. The RS option also added bright trim around the windshield and at the rear of the hood.

Tork 7 years ago

Great information. Thanks.

I am DB Cooper 7 years agofrom Whereabouts unknown at this time

Nice hub featuring some very nice cars.

Fryguy 7 years ago

The yellow "RS" Camaro is not a true rs car. A rs has the cat eye turn signals in front. They are round and above the bumper. What you have is a standard camaro that someone has put the different bumperettes on. It still has the elongated signals under the bumper which is a standard feature. The grill is also different. RS cars had a two piece grill with a split down the middle. Standard cars had a one piece grill. Check it out before you try to pass it off as a true Rally Sport car.

Captainsimon12 8 years agofrom Washington State

Nice I have an identical yellow one!

ManuelHernandez 8 years agofrom Miami, Fl

That's a great looking picture of the yellow Camaro with the RS option. I should know because I was the one who took it and Im also the owner of that car. If you want information on my car here is my ride page http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3177787